Fire-escape apparatus.



J. P. scHEU; R.V PIRE ESCAPE APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 29;'1911.

Patented Sept. 3,5 1912.

JOSEPH F. SCHEUER, F TWO CREEKS, "WISCONSll`T FIRE-ESCAPE APARAT'US.

T0 all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, JOSEPH F. Sermons,

- a citizen of the United States, and resident accompanying of the town of Two Creeks, in the county of Manitowoc and State of Wisconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inFire-Escape Apparatus; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof.

My invention consists in what is herein particularly set forth with reference to the drawings and pointed out in the claim of this specification, its object being to provide simple, economical and efficient fire escape apparatus embodying a cable designed to be securely fastened at one end in a building and to unwind from a drum automatically controlled as to maximum speed by a governor-brake therewith in a casing to `which an operator attaches himself by suitable means with which said casing is provided.

Figure 1 of the drawings V,reprcsentsf'a transverse section view of a fire-escape apparatus in accordance with my invention, the plane of the section being iiidicatedzpy line 11 in the next described figure {Fi-g. 2,

an elevation of the apparatus partly in secf tion von the plane-'indicated by line 2-2 in `v'1, and Fig. 3, a partly sectional view of a fragment of said apparatus, the section being indicated by line 3-3 in said Fig. 1.

Referring by numerals to the drawings, f1 indicates each of a pair of sections that together constitute al circular casing, flanged rims of the sections being preferably in halving-joint union. At intervals of their circumference, the sections of the casing are provided with hollow registerin transverse ribs 5 engaged by bolts 6, an nuts 7 are run on the en sof the bolts to hold said casing-sections in union.

The heads of the casing are centrally thickened and enlarged to provide bearings 8 for a shouldered spindle 9, and. loose upon the middle enlarged portion of the spindle is a druml 10 to which one end of a cable 11 is made fast, said cable being engaged with an opening provided for the same in said casing. The opening 1s halved in the meeting rims of the casing-sections and bevelej to prevent chafing of the cable. An outwardly extending end of the spindle 1s squared for the engagement of a detachable crank, not shown. y

Bolted or otherwise rigidly secured to a Specircaitonlof Letters Patent. Application tiled May 29, 1911. Serial No. 630,045.

saine,

Patented Sept. 3, 1912.

head 10 of the drum is a ring 12, having inner spur-teeth that mesh with those of a spur-wheel 13 loose on a bearing-stud 1st with which the head of a casing-section is provided, the stud being shown as a headed and shouldered bolt that extends through a boss 15 of said casing-section, its outer screw-threaded end being engaged with a clamping-nut 16. The spur-wheel meshes with a spur-pinion 17 fast on a journal of the spindle 9, and thus the aforesaid drum is back-geared to said spindle. Made fast on the other Journal of the spindle, by a keypin 17, or otherwise, is the central hub of a cross-piece 18 cast or otherwise rigid with the sect-ions 19 of a two-part friction ring, the meeting ends of the ring-sections being thickened and cross-notched to provide seats for diainetrically opposite cylindrical blocks 2O and the outer ends of angularly bent rods Q1 that extend through openings provided in the blocks, at right angles tothe/aises of the the rods being fastened to said blocks by pins 22 or other suitable means. The major port-ions of the rods 2l extend inward past the center ofthe cross-piece 18 connecting the sections of the two-part-ring, and weights Q3 are fastened by pins 24, or other suitable means7 to said rods adjacent to lthe inner ends of the same.

The two-part ring, cylindrical blocks and weighted arms, in the arrangement above speciiied, are elements ofan automatic governor b which to control the speed of the drum a oresaid when the cable is unwindiiig therefrom, there being expansion of said ring against the opposing wall of a casingsection, so that the maximum of the speed aforesaid is the same under any load said cable will sustain, said expansion being due to the leverage of the wei hted rods upon the 'ring-sections incidente to centrifugal force.

"The casing is shown provided with handgripsQ, attached to hangers 26 in suspension from casing-section-bolts,` but other suitable means may be provided in "connection with the casing for attaching the same to the person of an operator of the herein described apparatus, and it is intended to make the casing, drum, gearing and governor aforesaid of aluminum or other suitable light material to facilitate handling of the ap aratus.

e in a building to provide for' a descent of said casing' and other. parts of and connecting the friction-ring sections, the apparatus Withan'operator, it is also diametrically opposite cylindrical blocks practical to have al1y of the apparatus other and rods seated in said cross-notches, the than the cable stationary in said building andv rods being fastened in the blocks andex- 20 5 provide for attachment of a person to the tended inward past the center of the crossouter end of said cable. piece, and Weights fast on said rods ad- I claim: jacent to the inner ends of the same.' The combination in a fire-escape appara- In testimony that I claim the foregoing I tus of a circular casing, a spindle for which have hereunto Vset my hand atV Two Creeks 25 10 thecasi-ngis provided with bearings, a cable?` in the county of Manitowoc and State of woun drlum loose on the spifndle and back- Wisconsin in the presence of two Witnesses. geare t ereto, a two part riction-ring in y said casing having its sections in opposition JOSEPH F' to the casing-Wall, the opposin ends of these Witnesses: 15 ring sections ,being provided with cross- OsoAR B. ALBERTs, notches, a cross-piece fast on said spindle j e JOHN HASHECK, 

